Saturday, November 15, 2014

When
Angelina Jolie began working on "Unbroken," one of the first things she
wanted from me was a precise description of the high school track
uniforms worn by kids who raced against Louie in the 1930s. That kind of
dedication to accuracy has graced every decision she has made on this
film, giving the film exceptional realism. Here is a nice story about
the costumes worn by the actors in "Unbroken," and the lengths Angelina
went to to get it exactly right.

All eyes are set on Angelina Jolie’s second turn at directing,
“Unbroken,” which follows the incredible life of Louis “Louie”
Zamperini, the Olympic runner who spent 47 days stranded at sea after
his bomber plane crashed due to mechanical failures. He was then
captured by the Japanese and spent more than two-and-a-half years as a
prisoner of war.

Jack O’Connell wore 10 different versions of this uniform in “Unbroken” to show the passing of time.Photo: Universal Pictures

Angelina Jolie handpicked the color of all the clothing worn by Zamperini’s mother (played by Maddalena Ischiale).Photo: Universal Pictures

For much of the film Zamperini (newcomer Jack O’Connell) wears the
same outfit — the military khaki pants and shirts he’d had on when the
plane went down. Costume designer Louise Frogley says Jolie, who got to
know the real Zamperini before he passed away this summer at the age of
97, was a stickler for capturing the deterioration of his garment over
time.
“Angie was incredibly accurate and precise with her aging dates,”
says Frogley. “She’d say, scene this to scene that, it’s quite bleached,
scene this to scene that, it’s more bleached. She gave us this
incredibly considered guide to work to.”
Frogley created ten different versions for various levels of decay, each of which had multiples to be subbed in when needed.
Jolie, whose own mother died in 2007, also had a precise vision for
Zamperini’s mother — she wanted to create clothing in a color unique to
her character.
After testing more than 50 shades, they settled on a pinky-red shade of guava.
“She’s completely passionate about color,” says Frogley. “She’s driven by color.”